IDF tank fire kills four Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials say
Gaza medics say 13 Palestinians, including children, were also wounded when Israeli tank fire struck a home in the Strip; IDF says they fired towards militants who had launched mortars against troops.
By Anshel Pfeffer, Avi Issacharoff and News Agencies Tags: Israel news GazaIsrael Defense Forces tank fire struck a home in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday killing four Palestinians, two of whom were from the same family and wounding another 13, Gaza hospital officials said.
The IDF said Palestinian militants had launched mortars against Israeli troops Tuesday and the military shot mortars at the source of the firing.
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Palestinian men try to clear up rubble at an area hit by Israeli air strikes in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip March 22, 2011. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, an IDF spokeswoman, said the army did not know that civilians were in the area at the time of the strike and stressed that Israel had no desire to raise tensions and hoped that Hamas also didn't have that intention. "We never operate when civilians are identified," she said.
Palestinian medics said the dead youths were aged 12, 16 and 17. The 58-year-old owner of the house was also killed.
Locals said four Israeli tank shells struck the building east of Gaza City.
Israel hit a series of Palestinian militant targets in the Gaza Strip earlier Tuesday, damaging smuggling tunnels and suspected weapons sites. Palestinian officials said 19 people were wounded in those attacks.
On Saturday, southern Israel was hit by over 50 rockets, of which Hamas claimed responsibility for 10. The Israeli Air Force struck Gaza targets in retaliation for the bombardment.
On Monday, an IAF fighter jet struck a Gaza tunnel running along the border with Israel, as well as Hamas militants in the northern Gaza strip, an IDF statement confirmed.
The IDF spokesperson's office released a statement saying that the Gaza tunnel was used to smuggle terrorists into Israeli territory with the intent to execute attacks against Israeli citizens.
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a bit of state terrorism to get back for the murders carried out in Itamar. Israel is excellent at stirring the pot and seeing that retaliation will bring about more retaliation. And they always have to make sure they get some women and children in their "precise" hits.
it's become routine. israel lack of regard to human lives, international laws, and the entire world.
Palestinians have all rights to fight sionism. Israel still keep what they stole. Shooting at civilians is terrorism,and Idf do it for a reason. Free Palestine!!
And recipe for cognitive falsehood: repeating the same beliefs the psyche has chosen to propell.
Maybe the Gazan people should rise up against the militants. If they launch 50 mortars into civilian areas then Gazans surely know by now that they're screwed. If I had a family there and was just trying to live, then I'd be talking to my neighbors about freedom from their oppressors--Hamas.
despicable.
What is the point of begging the best weaopns in the world from America if incompetent peolpe will operate them? Of course, Israel makes it's own tanks, so they might not be quite so accurate. No matter how yuo look at it, Israel kills far more civilians than the militants do. Far more. Whether this is on accident or on purpose is of little concern to Israel's victims. The fact is that Israel could avoid most of the civilian casualties they cause if they were interested in doing so.
I wonder how that family and their friends will feel toward Israel. I know that if this had happened to my family, I would be hard pressed not to consider killing Israelis as morally just.
IS ALL THAT YOU HEAR FROM ISRAELI RACIST , YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN GHEDDAFI, AT LEAST HE HAS NO MASK LIKE ISRAELIS
Children were probably holding guns / weapons - just like in Vietnam - remember ?
Just more human shields? Just one more unfortunate death of innocents? Shoot and regrets later? ALL Palestinian deaths no matter HOW are defended. Cold and Callus Israel when you look in the mirror just what do you see? You had better get glasses and open the blinds as warts are covering your body but you do not see them. They are there for all to see and no amount of double speak and double think can cover them up. PEACE EVER?
You cannot steal people's land and bomb them in return hoping they'll forget about it..Your clock is ticking..
Israel should be listed as a "terrorist state" itself.
Go face Hezbollah instead if you're so tough..From the recent wikileaks, looks like Israel was begging the UN for a a ceasefire...
To everyone who has commented here thus far: Just as you fools decided to politicize the deaths of children in Itamar, you also politicize the deaths of these children in Gaza! Shame on you!!! My condolences go to the family that lost these children. It is my sincere hope that our people find peace soon, and no more children need to be killed.
The paper is a consistently harsh critic of the Israeli government, and does not shy away from tendentious reporting, as in the present article. At times, in its condemnatory zeal, Ha'aretz has purveyed outright misinformation. Questionable behavior for a "conscience." Not surprising that Arab foreign ministers rely on it. Whether accurate or not, they can study constant criticism of Israel and then claim to "know everything" about the country. The different views and information put forth in other Israeli papers may be something they simply don't want to know about.
The paper is a consistently harsh critic of the Israeli government, and does not shy away from tendentious reporting, as in the present article. At times, in its condemnatory zeal, Ha'aretz has purveyed outright misinformation. Questionable behavior for a "conscience." Not surprising that Arab foreign ministers rely on it. Whether accurate or not, they can study constant criticism of Israel and then claim to "know everything" about the country. The different views and information put forth in other Israeli papers may be something they simply don't want to know about.
Again Israel shows no restraint, while people are denied freedom they do desperate things. Free Gaza ! Trust and peace will follow in time even friendship.
by planting bombs? at least Israel returns fire towards those that attack them. There's nothing that can be done when the baby-killing Arabs decide to use a back garden as a launch pad.
terrorist Hamas.
isreal consider only isreali children deserve life not Palestinians
Nothing more needs saying. What, you think we don't have a right to hit back? Sorry, the problem is Hamas. As long as you support their firing rockets into our civilians from within your civilians, it doesn't take much brains to work out what happens next. That said, brains is actually what you lot need.
settlements on our lands and as long as you occupy our lands we will continue fighting you and all actions are justified, and there is no pity for an Israeli civilian because they support the actions of their government".
settlements on our lands and as long as you occupy our lands we will continue fighting you and all actions are justified, and there is no pity for an Israeli civilian because they support the actions of their government".
Hamas attack a country of Israel. Indiscriminately firing projectiles that might kill Jewish civilians. I guess they expect Israel just sit quietly and take it as in the past when Jews did not have their country and no one could protect them from marauding crowds of blood thirsty muslims... That time is gone.. Either you want to live in peace or expect strong reaction from the country(Israel)
yeah ,now lets launch a formal complaint with the u.n against the yehuds?n like always the evil doers will veto it,right?
Israel has every right to defend itself when attacked by terrorists! No veto needed here. Stop the rockets or face the price for sending them!
and as was the case during Cast Lead children seeming to be a welcome target. As for Itamar no murderers found but the worldwide condemnation of using this incident as an excuse for 400 more housing starts remains. September can’t arrive soon enough for these killings and excuses do indeed sicken.
Why do you not condemn Hamas for placing children in harms way just to eke out some Pr mileage and hand wringing from the likes of you.
Have you ever noticed just how stupid the IDF thinks you are?
go back to sleep
For maximum propaganda,they place their firing teams in populated aereas,so when Israel retaliates,of course civilians are going to be killed or wounded. The world loves this and all you have to do is read some of the exagerated anti-Israel postings by people who do not care who is to blame,just so long as they can write their poison against Israel.
If Hamas launches an attack on Israel and Israel limits it's rsponse to Hamas, this is not deterrence, since Hamas members are willing to die for their cause anyway. Because of this, Israel will target and kill civilians to gain their precious deterrence. The idea is that the surviving civilians hold Hamas accountable rather than Israel. This has never worked for Israel. Not a single time. Deterrence is something that Israelis hold dear to them, even if it doesn't really exist except in their minds.
You are not going to do anything with your comments, you can't see why Israel do this, Israel is only protecting its people, sadly Hamas use civilians as human shields and after this they cry saying :"War crimes".
SAme old same old
Did you ask the same questions when the 5 members of the Israeli family were murdered? Did you say anything when 50 Mortars were sent towrds Israel a couple of days ago? Or the 4 Rokets this morning? Arabs remain Arabs, shooting and crying...you play with fire you get burn...
It is sad that innocent lives were lost but those lives are on the heads of the Hamas cowards who are only using those people to get back in the news. Not too many mortars fired at you in Florida I guess, right Peter?
terrorists surrounding themselves with human shields for the sake of publicity. I find it interesting that the same cackle of Jew haters that comment here purposely avoided that discussion when it was written about their belove Qaddafi
because their land is stolen by the zionists who are the true fascists.
and also because israel is punishing all of Gaza by imposing a blockade that made their lives even more miserable up untill now. and also because israel targets and assasinates their leaders. and also because israel does not even allow them to go close to the inside of their own border inside Gaza to cultivate their lands. IT IS BECAUSE AS LONG AS THEY LIVE AS REFUGEES NEXT TO THEIR NATIVE LANDS THAT THEY SEE SOMEONE ELSE STOLEN FROM THEM, THE CHANCES OF THEM LOVING ISRAEL ARE REALLY VERY SLIM. you can't dispossess and deprive people, kill them, beseige them, empovrish them and bomb them and expect them to love you and not defend themselves. anything else you want answered?????? let me know. and also because
Because of the inhuman racist siege and blockade on Gaza.
By "their land", am I to assume that you mean all land west of the Jordan River?
that your ancestors (1945-1947) did the same to get the British army out of Palestine... It worked that time, and It will work for Hamas, Just a matter of time (may be hours, may be decades), not a problem, you have the land for now, they have time forever. Cheers.
Jews where in that land before the INVENT of Islam, 1400 years ago.
Remove the so called 'Palestinians' from Gaza and send them home to Jordan! There must not be two 'Palestinian' = Jordanian, countries! There is after all, only one Israel! There is NO Jewish occupation! There is only a Muslim occupation of Judea & Samaria, which the Muslims cleverly renamed 'The West Bank', in order to de-Judaize the area in the world's collective mind. The Muslims of Jordan (formerly Trans-Jordan, which England created), cleverly re-named themselves "palestinians" in the 1960's, and revised history in order to gain world sympathy for their cause, which is the annihilation of Israel, and to teach the great lie, which is, that the Jews stole their land from them! Before Jordan started its war against Israel, they told their Muslims brothers in Jerusalem & in Samaria & in Judea to sell the land to the Jews, because they were confident that they & their co-religionist Muslim nations (Syria, Egypt, etc.), would destroy Israel & so they could thereafter keep the land as well. So they sold & fled & waited for the results of the war. Israel won that war. They recaptured the Holy Jewish land; Jerusalem, Samaria & Judea. They rightfully settled it, even though Obama the Muslim, who constantly quotes the Qoran, (NOT the Bible), demands Israel to stop settling Jewish, G-d-given land. Israel, unlike the Jordanians, allowed Christians & Muslims to come & go freely in those areas. The deeds to the land were and are owned by Jews. They allowed the Muslims to continue living in Jewish apartments & homes as long as they continued paying rent to the Jews. Arafat came along & told the Muslims to be arrogant & not pay! They stopped paying and were consequently evicted. Of course Islam, the revisionist liars, tell the world that the Jews are pushing them out of their rightful land! It is NOT Muslim land, regardless of the fact that the Muslims continue to teach and even believe their own lies!
And all the Turkish Askenazi should go back to Europe? No. Everyone who is there gets to stay. They need to live together in peace. Why are tanks in a civilian neighborhood? This is very Gaddafi-like.
To solve a problem you go to the source, not the symptoms.
Change some names and your argument has been heard before. Teutonic knights ring ANY bells for you Mr. Blum? Maybe you could repeat this diatribe in Israeli beer gardens. PEACE EVER?
Why not zionists go back to Europe and America where THEY won't have to worry about the noise
When they launched 30 mortars over the weekend? Looks like they want a fight.
They send rockets and mortars and than when Israel respond, they are asking for a cease fire and cry to the world with the help of the lonney left that they are the victims. Arabs remain arabs...
It was a family home four children one adault. young girl, two women and a boy badley injured I would agree with taking out the terrorists but IDF cares nothing Palestinians are treated as lesser beings regret killings yeh right.
Do not embarrass yourself mustafa...you maybe living in America but you are not part of it... Real American!!!
Kudos Reuters. But while you seem to emphasize the "wounding" of children in a military response to provocation from Gaza, where is your outcry over the deliberate murder of sleeping children, stabbed and throats slit, by a monster who enters a Jewish home in the night? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!
Avi, you are a sick man, Nobody thought the murder of the family was justifed. It also turned out to be a Thai worker. But you are saying its OK to kill children and a families in their homes so you can continue an illegal occupation. Dont give me the little rockets story either, this is the response of the 40+ years of a murderous regime. Maybe its about time a no fly zone was imposed over Israel
Terrorist state of what so called israel ( OCCUPIED PALESTINE)
I presume you're not living in one of the apartment blocks that Hezbollah has placed their ammunition depots under or you wouldn't be so abusive. While Israel is free and democratic, all you have is a fiefdom that lost its independence to Syria decades ago
Palestine will be soon free ... of Arabs (Muslims). They will ALL be moved to Lebanon and this will end the circus that the whole world got tired of after all these years. Thanks God.
While Israeli men, women and children were turned into minced meat in bus-stops, markets and buses? All the while you fail to understand the Jewish people's right to its own state, just like the Lebanese, you will be an agent of hatred and violence, which will haunt you on and on.
Using a Sledgehammer to crack a defenseless nut.....
4 palestinians were martyred including 2 children 11 and 16 years old, their father 50 years old and young man 20 years old. this is a reply for germany which supported the israeli bombing on gaza today.
The rockets were not fired on Israel, but OCCUPIED PALESTINE. Do you understand the difference ????
Hamas did not fire any rocket or mortar shells from this family's house or from the playground the children were playing in.
I think you meant "10 eyes for an eye." I think that's the going rate these days.
Four year seige or maybe fact Isreal has week after week for the last two years bombed or shot killed or injured gazan's. You will end up distroying each other.